Last weekend I saw a delightful new musical, "Everybody’s Talking About Jamie". Imagine what Michael might be like a couple of years after Billy left town. Like BETM, the story is set in a northern England working class town of Sheffield. In other words, the characters and situations feel familiar.

"Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” is a fun musical about a fabulous and unapologetic teen who aspires to learn drag and brighten up his dreary working class town. Supported by his loving mum and surrounded by friends, Jamie overcomes prejudice and bullies, and steps out of the darkness, into the spotlight. It’s a refreshing story and a joy to watch. John McCrea as Jamie nails it perfectly as a 16 year old lad who wants to learn the art of drag. I enjoyed it but it still has an unpolished, experimental feel to me. Some of the regional dialect and strong accents went over my head, even for being a long time BETM fan.

Some of the reviews in the press, such as this one, compare the show to BETM.

"Kinky Boots" came to mind for me, as opposed to "Billy Elliot," but maybe they made that connection due to its northern England working class setting. Seems I remember someone on the Forum a number of years back saying how it would be fun to see a spin-off from BETM about Michael's life after Billy goes to the Royal Ballet School, called "Michael: The Musical." This show could be it !

Everybody Might Soon Be Talking About ‘Jamie’ on BroadwayThe true story of a working-class teenager who loves dressing up in drag has been turned into a British theatrical hit. Now ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’ may come to New York.